LUCKNOW: Sixteen months after playing a key role in Operation Sindoor, the officer who commanded India’s western air operations has been chosen for a very different assignment. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has selected Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (Retd) as the first chief executive officer (CEO) of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.Mishra, who retired from the Indian Air Force in April 2026, will oversee the temple trust’s expanding administrative responsibilities. However, the standard operating procedure governing the appointment and functioning of the CEO is yet to be finalised, Trust general secretary Govind Dev Giri said.Speaking to TOI, Mishra said: “I came to know about my appointment through news reports. I am yet to receive any official communication from the Trust.”Mishra was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command when Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Much of the four-day air campaign was directed from the command rooms of the Western Air Command, one of the IAF’s most critical operational formations.As commander of the Western Air Command, Mishra oversaw decisions related to the deployment of aircraft and air defence assets during the operation. He was among the senior military leaders recognised for their role in the campaign and was awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal by President Droupadi Murmu for distinguished service.His appointment brings to the Trust a leader with extensive experience in operational planning, logistics, coordination and management of large organisations.In a recent podcast, Mishra spoke about the air campaign during Operation Sindoor, describing how Indian forces identified and struck targets deep inside Pakistan. He underscored the importance of precision, technology and inter-service coordination. Several operational aspects of the campaign, however, remain classified.A native of Bhopatpura village in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, Mishra comes from a middle-class family. His father was a lecturer. He joined the National Defence Academy in 1983 and was commissioned as a fighter pilot in December 1986 before qualifying as an experimental test pilot, one of military aviation’s most specialised streams.During his career, he served as chief test pilot of both the Indian Air Force and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), flying aircraft in developmental and testing phases and evaluating systems before induction into service.Following the terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase in January 2016, Mishra was tasked with taking charge of the station and strengthening its administrative and security framework. He later commanded the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru, which works closely with HAL, the Defence Research and Development Organisation and civilian scientists.Mishra also spent three years at Air Headquarters in New Delhi, handling defence procurement. During that tenure, he was associated with nearly 75 projects and led the Air Force’s role in the first tranche of emergency procurements undertaken in 2019 and 2020.His professional training includes war management studies at the Air Command and Staff College in the United States and strategic studies at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.The Trust’s CEO selection process began with 5,585 applications. A selection committee headed by retired Justice Permod Kohli and comprising Lt Gen VK Chaturvedi and nuclear scientist Suresh Haware conducted technology-assisted screening, verification and online assessments. The exercise was coordinated by the Trust secretariat under Sameer Panda.
The pool was eventually narrowed to 16 candidates, who were interviewed in Ayodhya on Aug. 11 and 12. A panel of three names was submitted to the Trust on Sept. 1, after which Mishra was selected.As CEO, Mishra is expected to oversee the temple’s day-to-day administration, pilgrim facilities, financial arrangements, staff coordination and management of major religious events. The Trust will now finalise the CEO’s powers, responsibilities, reporting structure and service conditions before the appointment is formally operationalised.